Discovery Of Novel Oncogenes And Tumour Suppressor Genes Via Genetic Interactions With Drosophila Cbl.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$396,760.00
Summary
Cancer is a complex genetic disease resulting from an accumulation of mutations that allow a cell to escape its normal growth controls. The cell can then multiply indefinitely to produce a tumour. We still only know the nature of some of these mutations, and the genes that they affect. Recently the fruitfly, Drosophila, has gained increasing importance in the discovery of new cancer genes and understanding how they function. The long history of genetic studies with this organism, and the recent ....Cancer is a complex genetic disease resulting from an accumulation of mutations that allow a cell to escape its normal growth controls. The cell can then multiply indefinitely to produce a tumour. We still only know the nature of some of these mutations, and the genes that they affect. Recently the fruitfly, Drosophila, has gained increasing importance in the discovery of new cancer genes and understanding how they function. The long history of genetic studies with this organism, and the recent completion of the DNA sequence of the entire genetic code of the fruitfly allows a wealth of experiments to be conducted on how mutations affect growth and development. We have used the fruitfly to investigate how a particular cancer gene, v-cbl, causes cells to lose growth control and are now using this organism in a systematic way to discover new cancer genes. We will then map these genes onto the human genome to determine if these genes are also responsible for human cancers.Read moreRead less
Genetic Models Of Cancer Development And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,250.00
Summary
We are taking advantage of the powerful genetic tools in fruit flies to study the genetics of cancer. 72% of cancer genes are conserved between humans and fruit flies, making it a particularly suitable system. This project has two main aims: 1- to build tumours in fruit flies in an effort to understand better the individual genetic lesions that contribute to cancer It takes on average 4-7 mutations for a tumour to develop. While many genes associated with cancer have been identified, there are m ....We are taking advantage of the powerful genetic tools in fruit flies to study the genetics of cancer. 72% of cancer genes are conserved between humans and fruit flies, making it a particularly suitable system. This project has two main aims: 1- to build tumours in fruit flies in an effort to understand better the individual genetic lesions that contribute to cancer It takes on average 4-7 mutations for a tumour to develop. While many genes associated with cancer have been identified, there are many more that have not. What is more, it is still not clear precisely what mutations are responsible for a given tumour as tumours contain many genetic lesions most of which are incidental. We have a collection of fruit flies strains that represent various stages of the progress toward cancer development, and we intend to test different genetic combinations of these to determine which combinations result in cancer. 2- to identify a class of genes we have called 'oncogene suppressor genes' which may have the ability to prevent tumours from forming. Recently, it has been discovered that oncogenes may be required for both the INITIATION of tumours and the MAINTENANCE of tumours. This means that suppressing oncogene function may not only prevent tumour formation, but also tumour maintenance - in other words, it may make tumours go away. Thus, oncogene suppressor genes may represent exciting therapeutic targets for the treatment and possibly also prevention of cancer. At this time it is not clear whether oncogenes are generally required for tumour maintenance, or whether this is a property of only one or a few oncogenes. As these experiments are difficult and expensive to conduct in mammalian systems, we have devised simple, rapid tests in fruit flies instead. We plan to use these tests to investigate the effect of 'oncogene suppressor genes' on tumour initiation and maintenance in fruit flies. Ultimately, we believe these genes may represent therapeutic targets.Read moreRead less
Therapeutical Potential And Mechanisms Of Action Of New Compounds From Bitter Melon For Insulin Resistant States
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$115,155.00
Summary
Type 2 Diabetes is a major disease with major economic and health implications. Current medications are either insufficient or have serious adverse effects. Bitter melon is a vegetable in many countries including Australia and it has been used as a traditional medicine to control blood sugar. This project intends to identify the active ingredients from bitter melon for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The results will indicate their potential as new agents for this disease.